Winemaking

A Team Committed to Excellence

No Shortcuts. World-class wine. An honest voice of our vineyard.

GREG BREWER

Founder, Winemaker

Greg Brewer’s primary focus in the winery is the pursuit of refinement. He is engaged in every aspect of his work, from vineyard to market, and every level of the process is given equal priority. To him, a mindful approach where strategic and efficient actions are taken to incorporate the needs of the entire ecosystem creates a confident and calming environment, a space where everyone and everything is appreciated. The goal is the beauty and synchronicity of the system. The result is wine that is honest and driven, expressive of the place and the team who collectively steward them.

Greg has always followed a distinct and deliberate arc in his work, where the priority is service, subtracting extraneous elements and minimizing the insertion of self. He reveres the repetitive and monastic nature of the winemaking craft, and after 25 years in the business is firmly committed to the immediate task at hand. This focus shifts the motivation behind the wine from ego towards humility. For Greg, it is only along this path that the resultant product conveys the sincerity and vulnerability that is his goal, both personally and professionally.

Greg started his career as a French instructor at UC Santa Barbara before being trained in wine production at Santa Barbara Winery starting in 1991. He created his eponymous label, Brewer-Clifton with original partner Steve Clifton in 1996 and later designed Melville where he worked as winemaker from its inception in 1997 through the end of 2015. Greg additionally created diatom focusing on starkly raised Chardonnay, as well as Ch.igai Takaha, which is marketed predominantly in Japan. The entirety of his career has been committed to the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, which he helped to map, define and establish in 1997.